


A Fight from the East

by mrichar7



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:00:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26701066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrichar7/pseuds/mrichar7
Summary: "Were you hoping to take me in a fight?" The man asked, amusement playing in his voice at the thought of fighting a princess with a sword."I am fighting you." Rey spat at him, lifting her weapon. The dull edges of the sparring sword were a disadvantage, but she was quick and stronger than she looked. The man stepped out of the shadows in the doorway, the light from the window showing off his features.He wore no armor, and his tunic and pants clung to his body in a flattering way that would be distracting if Rey hadn't been so distraught at the sight of him. His black hair was pulled partly away from his grinning face, "As you wish Princess, let's fight."
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	1. One

Up near the cliffside of Ore Fedik stood the most imposing structure west of the Green Ocean. The Castle D’Quar spread as wide as its palace was tall. A weathered looking stone wall curved in a large misshapen circle around the closely placed rows of buildings. Mostly grey from the stone with which the houses and stores were built, small pops of color could be seen in wooden doors and carefully sewn green flags that fluttered in the light breeze. Along the castle ground level there was the bustle of daily activities that took place no matter the stage of sun or moons. The Water Fetchers were the most active group, ferrying their pails of fresh spring water from the lowland river. The journey took two hours to complete, and only a spare amount of water could be taken by one person.

Almost every able-bodied younger person in the castle worked as a Water Fetcher at some point in their lives. Many poor families depended on their children becoming old enough to take in earnings as a water fetcher. In a family with moderate income and both boys and girls, the boys would take on the role of Fetchers while the girls tried their hands at receiving an education that could lead to a Castle Scholar role. A Castle Scholar needed to be able to read, tell time, and make pleasant conversation. All this to support the Grand Scholars who in turn supported the upper class and royalty with their affairs. As children in the castle grew into adulthood they would likely follow their parents into the family profession, while the next generation of children brought water and support with higher thinking to the Castle D’Quar. 

One Castle Scholar by the name of Kaydel was running late. Her youngest brother had taken ill, and Kaydel had been the one to run to the apothecary to find the appropriate medicine for his symptoms. Kaydel’s mother followed her to the door of their home as she hurried away, hands still clutching the medicine Kaydel had brought.

“Be grateful you can tell time enough to know that you are late!” She called at Kaydel’s hastily retreating form.

Weaving around the morning bustle, Kaydel wound her blond braids into tight circles just behind her ears, her brown dress flapped around her ankles. When Kaydel had finished with her hair, she hiked up her skirts and apron to avoid the mud. Kaydel’s walk wasn’t long. She had been given the highest honor, a Castle Scholar position in the palace. Her family’s home sat in the shadow of the Great Tower. The walk to no longer than five minutes. A grateful Kaydel stepped past the guards at the Great Tower entrance and hoped Grand Scholar Tekka wouldn’t notice her lateness.

Far above Kaydel, in the highest room of the tower, the Crown Princess Rey watched the morning commute with great interest. She herself didn’t venture out into the greater castle very often. From this altitude, some of the noise from below was lost, and replaced with the rhythmic crashing of the waves against the Ore Fedik cliffs.

As a young girl, Rey often spent her days wandering around the cliffside with her siblings, savoring the salty breeze that she would miss when shut inside the palace walls. They’d play running and hiding games, perfect for the tall grass that grew in fields near the cliffs. On some visits Rey would sneak away from the group, getting as close to the cliff edge as she could. Rey was fascinated by the drop, a steep rock face descending all the way down to the cold ocean. A sharp rapping sound of a ruler against the leather of a book brought Rey’s attention away from the window, and she jumped with a fright as though she was about to fall from the cliffs in her memories.

“Your Royal Highness, if you would please, the lessons of the day remain unfinished.” Her unyielding tutor reminded Rey, his bug eyes seemed to pop out of his head in his strain to remain polite. Rey’s youngest sister Cienna grinned mischievously from behind the tutor, knowing if she was caught mocking then the tutor would punish her. Although Rey’s position of Crown Princess kept her from being punished, the tutor had no queries about giving Cienna’s knuckles a good whack with his cherished wooden ruler.

Aayla, the middle sister, had no fears of being punished and giggled audibly. She’d neglected to tie back her auburn curls this morning, giving Aayla the wild look of a common fifteen year old just finishing her shift as a Fetcher. As the old tutor turned to give Aayla a whipping, Rose spoke out sharply.

“That’s enough, Aayla. Scholar Eunice, I’ll return to my lessons now.” The tutor recognized Rey’s disapproval of his actions and grumbled quietly to himself as Rey took her seat in her high backed leather chair. He hated being overruled by a girl, even if she was the future Queen. Thankfully for Eunice, Rey’s recent eighteenth birthday meant she would soon be done with her daily lessons.

As Rey turned her attention to her books, she gave Cienna a playful kick under the table. Cienna gave the smallest acknowledgment of Rey’s teasing. She was a big girl now, ten years old, and Cienna vowed to take her role as a Princess much more seriously than Aayla.

The lesson for Rey focused on foreign policy and diplomacy. She was pleased, clearly her father had a hand in picking this topic. He still hadn’t named his heir, the option stood open for any of his six children. Rey and her half-brother Finn were the most likely candidates.

Rey couldn’t deny that she would be jealous of her brother if he was chosen to be king. Despite her love for Finn, the nagging part in the back of her brain told her the role of Queen belonged to Rey. It was only because she was a _girl_ that Finn was in consideration. It was a secret feeling that she wouldn’t dare admit, an ever present lump in the back of Rey’s throat when her father was around. That he would dare consider her less than because of something as silly as gender.

There was a soft knock on the door, and a girl in the dress of a Castle Scholar entered the room. Kaydel asked, “Would the Royal Highnesses take tea?”

Rey had a mind to say no, but knew Aayla jumped at any chance to break from her lessons. If Rey refused, her sisters would be obliged to follow.

“Yes, bring it up here please.” Rey said, turning her attention to the book in front of her.

Kaydel shut the door quietly and turned to make the walk back downstairs to the kitchen. Her footfalls on the stairs were heavy, Kaydel was in a sour mood. Five minutes late and she’s assigned to servant duties?

“Fetching tea…” Kaydel grumbled as she strode past the middle landing of the Great Tower. Just behind a large blue door on the middle landing stood the King of the Many Isles, and his war council. Lord Finn had been invited to join as well, and stood at the side of his father the King. The men stood around the sturdy circular table hewn from the lowest stone of Ore Fedik’s cliffs. The stone closest to the ocean had a unique color not seen in the rest of the cliffs, with speckled orange and green streaks throughout the grey. The top of the table was a carved map of the Many Isles, so old that new lands had been added as they were discovered over many hundreds of years.

“Go on then, Lord Ackbar, show me where the blasted Order has laid claim to my lands.” The King ordered wearily, leaning his hands onto the edge of the table and looking down expectantly. A short, mousy man stepped forward at the King’s commands. Lord Ackbar was the General of the Ore Fedik Navy, as the King’s lands were made up of islands his Navy was the most prestige and well funded of the military sector.

“The Seventh Isle and the Greene Isle have both fallen to the Order, the Rocky Isle is currently under siege.” Ackbar announced, pointing to three of the outer laying islands. The King slammed his hands down on the table with a bang, the newest members of the war council jumped in shock. While the older members and Finn displayed no outer show of shock, they too had trouble believing Ackbar’s words. The Many Isles had been threatened by outsiders on occasion over the past thousand years, but they had never lost three islands in succession.

“Where did this Order come from, your grace?” Finn asked formally.

“We’ve no report on their origins, but whispers tell us they are under command from a man who goes by Lord Snoke. They may have come from the land across the sea, Tatooine, it’s called.”

“They must have an overwhelming amount of numbers if they can manage two islands and a siege at once.” A man from the back of the group commented.

“There’s no way they can overtake all our lands, they’d need the whole bloody population of Tatooine to do that.” The King proclaimed baldly, “No, this is just a show of power. They’ll strike here next.”

“The Order wouldn’t dare try and take the Capitol, that’s madness.” Finn said, slipping out of his formality at the absurdness of the idea.

“Tell me, son, in what ways could an outside force take Ore Fedik Isle?” The King questioned. Finn thought it over for a moment.

“Negotiation?”

“Aye, that’s one tactic. I’ve got your sister studying the art of negotiation just upstairs. But from what you’ve heard of the Order, do you think negotiation likely?”

Shaking his head, Finn responded, “No, but they could lay siege to us for years before our walls fall.”

“True, can you think of nothing else?” The King prodded. Finn’s face screwed up at the thought of his final answer, “Treachery? Have they no honor?”

The King laughed out loud, encouraging a few chuckles out of the the rest of the council. “Of course they would, there’s no honor in stealing a man’s home, and they’ve done that twice over.”

The anger in the room was palpable, no telling how many good men had died trying to defend their homes and their families as the Order marched through without mercy.

“What would you have me do?” The King asked, offering the question to the room at large. But again it was Finn who answered.

“Fight back.” He said quickly, a wild look in his eyes. The King took notice of his energy.

“Use your head, boy. They’re coming for a siege, not an outright fight. They can’t have the numbers.”

Finn balked at his father’s anger, withdrawing into a stormy silence. None of the other men offered a quick suggestion.

“We stock up on water as a start.” Came a voice from the door, which was open just a crack. The group as a whole turned to look, the closest man to the door threw it open wide and revealed Rey, standing sheepishly close to the doorframe. She drew herself up a bit before she elaborated.

“If it comes to a siege, they’ll cut us off from our water. We can last longer without food than we would without water.” No one responded, not even to give the traditional bow that was expected of them. Rey caught her father’s eye, and saw a small smile play on his face. She knew she wouldn’t be in trouble, it was a good idea anyway. Sneaking a look at Finn, Rey saw the slight jerk of his head, correctly interpreting it as a dismissal. She curtsied quickly, and missed the delayed bows made to her as Rey hurried up the stairs.

Hiking up her skirts in an effort to be quicker, Rey chuckled to herself. Reaching the top floor, Rey made a rather un-ladylike entrance to the study room. Aayla and Cienna made no comment, but Scholar Eunice boldly stated, “You take too long on your breaks, your Royal Highness.”

“Well, I’ve beat the tea girl haven’t I?” Rey said, attempting to control her heavy breathing from her fast paced climb. She moved across the room and took her seat again. Rey knew it was imperative to study as much as she could on the topic of foreign policy now, in the face of what she’d heard from her father’s council. But Rey found it hard to focus when all she could think of was how Finn had been invited to give his opinion, and she wasn’t.


	2. Two

The screaming had finally ceased all along the Rocky Isle. Anyone left alive by sun up would be forced to either pledge their loyalty to The Order, or die standing by their king. In the night, land and sea were difficult to separate. There were no sandy beaches on the Rocky Isle, only massive boulders of crumbling black lava rock. The dwellings on the island were all made from or carved into this rock, including the imposing fortress that loomed over the small village.

Ocean mists were laying low this evening, shrouding a tall moving figure in the damp white cloud. He kept his black robes held tightly around his body to keep out the chill. This was a different climate than he was accustomed to, having grown up near the sweltering desert on Tatooine. The figure made his way towards the lava rock fortress, up the winding dirt road that gave way to stone once the entrance to the fortress was in view.

Two Order soldiers stood waiting on either side of the towering door, dwarfed by its magnitude. Recognizing the figure, one of the soldier’s gave a quick rap on the wood, signaling to the soldiers waiting inside to raise the door. Without breaking step, the figure ignored the bows and muttered greetings of, “M’Lord”.

He didn’t have to ask for directions, a palace was a palace no matter where it was placed. Throne rooms were always centrally located, so that the common people could come grovel and spill their worries and wants all over the room. Throne rooms in general had an air of desperation and greed, and the man in dark robes avoided them at all costs.

The enclosed breezeways and halls were an unusual sight to the man, a desert climate called for open features in a palace to keep the heat at bay. A rock in the middle of the sea would probably need more walls than the man’s childhood home. Selecting the door farthest down the main hall, the man entered without waiting for a summons.

The throne room was small, no seats available even for the house family to sit and take part in daily proceedings. Not that it mattered anymore, the lord of this house and the rest of his family were killed some hours before. All the attention in the dark stone room went to its throne, even that made out of the black rocks.

The man seated in the throne arranged his mouth into a crooked smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “Ben, come my boy and tell me what you think of our temporary home.”

Ben spared another glance around the room before returning his gaze to Lord Snoke. The man had been disfigured in the same war that had taken Ben’s parents. A scar snaked across Snoke’s face, drawing attention to the slackened left side which no longer moved at Snoke’s command. He wore long, flowing black robes that brushed nth floor when he stood, the collar buttoned up to his neck. Ben guessed that if he still had his hair it’d be grey by now.

“It’s cold, and dark. They also seem to have a dislike of decoration, or any type of pleasant things to look at.” Ben summarized.

“An apt description, but it’s only temporary. Keep our grand plans in mind, soon we will be out of this imitation of grandeur and onto the real seat of power.”

“Ore Fedik” Ben offered. He was a man of few words, he preferred to let his sword speak for him.

“Ore Fedik indeed, my boy. And don’t sound so grim, your role is about to become as central as any other in our new history.” Snoke said in an attempt to excite Ben.

“Yes, the mighty Ben. High Lord Solo. Killer of the weak and unprepared.” Ben knew he was unwise to say as much, but he figured this was his last chance to get a word in before he was sent away.

Lord Snoke’s eyes flashed, “Do you regret your decision to join me in this expedition? Do you wish to return home and await victory like a coward along with the rest of your weak lords? Do not forget that I saved your life, and mean to give you a kingdom to rule.” 

Snoke spoke angrily, but not to his limit. Ben decided to toe the line, “Why not have the foot soldiers kill them, if we expect no trouble?”

“We are not speaking of the murder of common lords. This is the royal family. You will kill those assigned to you, and bring the girl here.” Snoke snapped. Ben spoke no more, weary of physical retaliation at his rebellious questions. He enjoyed killing men in battle, there was a certain satisfaction in the victory. But none in the killing of women and children, and definitely no honor.

“I’ll take my leave, Lord Snoke.” Ben said, ending the conversation.

“You’ll see your rooms on your successful return. Sleep in your ship for now and leave at first light.” This was Ben’s punishment, he was grateful not to be given anything painful.

“As my Lord commands.” Ben said, turning to leave the room. He cast his eyes about once more, as though expecting to see someone else. He was sure, just for a moment, that someone had been standing nearby…

*****

Rey jerked awake, hands clutching the edges of her blanket. She sat up quickly, making her head spin. Automatically she turned to her left, expecting to see Aayla. Rey had forgotten that she no longer slept in the big room with her sisters. She was alone now, with only her unsettling dreams for company.

Throwing back the blankets, Rey grabbed her dressing gown from the chair beside her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. Sliding her feet into padded slippers, Rey crossed her room and ended up by the window. Pulling back the green velvet curtain, Rey looked out onto the sparkling ocean. The moon was almost full, illuminating the Ore Fedik Harbor. Then harbor was never quiet, but at this stage of night only two ships were moving.

A sense of dread was steadily building inside Rey, but she could not remember why. Rey had frightening dreams on occasion, but this one felt different. This one felt like death, and it felt close.

Rey shuddered and closed the curtain, she refused to dwell on death. Instead of climbing back into her warm bed, Rey opened up her bedside table drawer. She fumbled her matches for a moment before catching a flame and lighting a handheld candle. Sleep would be elusive at this point, with nothing better to do, Rey went to dress. If the threat of death was coming, the best thing to do would be preparing to fight.

*****

In the early dawn hours, Finn was propelling his little brother down a spiral stairway to train. Beau was almost nine, he stumbled along sleepily as Finn lead him to their training grounds. In a household of sisters, Finn had been overjoyed when a brother was born. Sure, Beau was a half-brother, but the difference was rarely felt between any of his siblings. Finn’s love for his little sister from his mother was no more than his sisters from the Queen or his father’s second consort.

“Why does it have to be so early, Finn?” Beau whined, pushing his straw blond hair out of his eyes. Finn made a mental note to speak with Beau’s mother about that, Beau was nearing manhood and he still had a boy’s haircut. Finn put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “We start our day with training, so that we’re ready for all that comes after. Whatever that may be.” He said.

Beau rolled his eyes but gave no further complaints. The boy was a spitting image of their father. Finn may have inherited his father’s temper, but his features were lost on Finn. His mother’s dark complexion was mirrored in Finn, his closely cropped black hair and brown eyes as well. Finn’s sister Alayne shared his looks, but with their father’s blue eyes.

As Finn and Beau approached their destination, the muffled clash of sword could be heard in a nearby room. Beau looked up at Finn wearily, who motioned to stay put while he investigated. Finn had a good guess at who he would find.

The small indoor training area had been constructed for stormy days, a number of sparring swords lined the walls and two straw-filled dummies took up a portion of the floor. Unsurprisingly, Finn found Rey with sparring sword in hand as she viciously attacked both dummies. Her brown hair was falling out of its bun, her tan undershirt was rolled at the sleeves and soaked with sweat, and the brown trousers stolen (with Finn’s help) from the laundry held in place by a leather belt.

“Two against one this morning, seems a bit unfair.” Finn called out. Whipping around, Rey held her sword out, “Want to make it three?”

“Not really.” Finn said as he stepped forward and pushed Rey’s sword out of his face, “I’ve got Beau with me.” Rey dropped her sword hand and frowned, “It’s early for him to be out and training. He’s still a boy.” She chided.

“You should talk, did you sleep at all last night?” Finn asked, hand coming up to point at the purple bags under Rey’s eyes. She slapped his hand away.

“Go train outside, it’s a beautiful day.” Rey tried to turn away, but Finn caught her arm and held fast, “You’d tell me if something was bothering you, right?” He asked. Rey only paused for a moment, “Of course I would.”

Finn let her go, “Alright, I’ll see you when we break fast. You’d better go up soon or you’ll be seen.”

“Little serving girls don’t frighten me.” Rey said, turning again to her dummy attackers. “Train with me soon, these straw boys are poor company.”

“Sure, your footwork needs help anyway.” Finn said as he left the room.

“It does not!” Finn heard as he shut the door, and returned to Beau with a smile. “Not to worry, just another early riser like us.” Beau didn’t look entirely convinced, but he offered no further questions. Finn lead his brother out into the crisp morning air and breathed in deeply. One of the greatest joys in life was the smell of a clear morning, in Finn’s mind at least.

“Where are the swords?” Asked Beau.

“We start by building up our strength, gives us a good foundation.” Finn explained.

“How do we do that?” Beau wondered.

“We’ll move those rocks across the field and back.” Finn said nonchalantly.

“Lifting rocks!” Beau exclaimed loudly, making Finn laugh. He clapped a hand on Beau’s shoulder, “Best get moving little brother. That’s your pile right there.” Beau groaned but did as he was bid, so occupied in his task that he missed his oldest sister sneak up the stairs and out of sight.


	3. Three

In the kingdom of the Many Isles, a person came of age once they reached eighteen. Rey and Finn were both of age, in fact their births were within one week of each other. As such, neither of them were expected to break their morning fasts with the rest of the children in the royal family. They were entitled to have food brought to their rooms, as did the King and Queen, and the King’s two consorts. Still, Rey and Finn continued to dine with their siblings each morning.

When Rey arrived in the small hall she found that she was the last to arrive. At her appearance, her siblings stood from their seats and the servants stopped in their tracks to bow. Rey made her way to the table, Finn pulled out the chair next to him for her and she sat, followed by her brothers and sisters. Food had been set out by the palace staff, but they were all obliged to wait for Rey to arrive before they could begin eating. The second the table was seated again food was grabbed quickly and put onto plates.

“I’d think you would have beaten us all here this morning.” Finn said, helping himself to a generous portion of bacon. Rey ignored his comment as a servant placed a fresh bowl of porridge down in front of her.

“Getting dressed is no lazy business, have you seen how much extra they’ve added to me lately?” Rey replied once the servant had gone. Becoming of age to Rey seemed to be an excuse to add extra layers of clothing, jewelry, and hair pieces to her wardrobe.

“I miss you in our room.” Said Aayla, who was seated across from Rey. Thinking back to her early morning, Rey said, “I miss you too, Aayla. And to think you only have poor Cienna for company. She thinks she’s a lady now she’s ten.”

“I _am_ a lady.” Cienna said crossly, she was fun to tease in the morning.

“You’re a Princess, _I’m_ a lady.” Alayne said, who was seated on Finn’s other side.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t act like a lady!” Cienna said, a telltale edge to her voice signaling a tantrum.

“You’re a proper lady, Princess Cienna. We should all take note.” Aayla said, smoothing over the moment while cutting a slice of ham. She drizzled a fair amount of honey on her plate before taking a bite and sighing with pleasure.

“Will you be joining us for lessons today?” Aayla asked Rey through her bite of food.

“Finish chewing or you’ll choke yourself. Actually, I thought we’d all rest today and go out to the cliffs.” Rey said, speaking to the group. There was a collective gasp of excitement, particularly from Beau who had never been to see the cliffs.

“You mean it?” Beau asked, eyes wide.

“Of course, I’ll excuse you all for the day. After we eat you can go dress yourselves for the outing.” Rey assured him. Cienna, Beau, and Alayne chattered together excitedly while Aayla focused on her breakfast. Rey turned to look at Finn, “I expect you’ll need to be with father today. After what I heard from your meeting.” Finn looked serious, “I expect I will. What were you doing by the way, listening at the door?”

Rey took a few bites of her porridge before answering, “I supposed I just wanted to know why a war council was called.”

“And you were jealous.” Finn prodded.

“No! Why must I be jealous for wanting to know what’s happening in the kingdom. I have good ideas.”

“I expect you do. You know father assigned two men to oversee extra water brought to our reserves.” Finn told her. Rey flushed, but said nothing. The meal continued on-with a bit more excited energy than usual at the thought of the cliff outing-until a palace courier entered the hall with a letter.

The youngest three paid the man little attention but Rey, Finn, and Aayla watched silently as he crossed the room. He stopped just to the left behind Rey, gave her a bow and said, “Your Royal Highness.” As he held out the letter in his hand. Rey nodded to him as she took the note, he stepped back to wait for a response. She unfolded the parchment and glanced at Finn, who was watching her expectantly.

Reading the note quickly, Rey turned to the courier and simply said, “Yes.” He bowed again and strode out of the room.

“Father wants to see us at court.” Rey said to Finn, he raised his eyebrows at her words. Both were unsure of why they were being asked to attend at such late notice. Rey turned to the rest of her siblings, as they were all looking at her now.

“Finn and I have been asked to attend court, go on and finish eating and be ready to go when I’m done.” Rey said. She stood up, the rest of the table followed her lead and stood as well. Finn waited for Rey to walk ahead, then followed a few paces behind. Once the curious eyes of their younger siblings had disappeared behind a closed door, Finn increased his stride so that he was walking beside Rey.

“What did the letter say exactly?” He asked quietly as they walked at a fast pace towards the throne room. They’d be there in less than a minute, the path they were taking had no winding turns to navigate.

“Mother will be there.” Rey said without looking away from her destination.

“Your mother,” Finn paused while Rey finally looked at him, “Or the entire court?”

“The entire court.” Rey stopped walking abruptly, and Finn turned back to face her.

“Look…I’m sorry if I’ve been unkind recently. I have a lot of worries piling up at the moment, and I’m not getting much sleep.” Rey said in a soft tone.

“Well why haven’t you told me? You know I’m great at solving other people’s problems.” Finn said, relieved that Rey was finally speaking truthfully with him.

“I know you are, but I don’t think this is one of those times.” Rey said. Finn took a deep breath, the words Rey didn’t say were always more telling than the ones she did.

“It’s about the succession, then.” Finn surmised, Rey’s eyes betrayed a quick look of panic, and she said, “They’ll be wondering where we are.” As she brushed past Finn’s shoulder, he let her maintain a couple paces lead before following. There were strict rules to be followed in court.

Rey had reached the broad doors that lead to the throne room. The door attendants moved to open them, but Rey said, “Wait.” Quickly stopping them before they had touched the handles. Once Rey heard Finn behind her, she nodded and the doors were opened. The throne room at Ore Fedik Palace was long, with a high vaulted ceiling, which combined gave an almost claustrophobic feeling. The walls and floor were decorated with the blue and green crystals from the cliffside rocks, and the tall windows sent paths of sunshine to the crystals, giving them a sparkling glow. The entire court was present, they had all stopped speaking at Rey and Finn’s entrance.

The Lords and military officers were gathered on the marble floor, milling about with no set place to stand. A divider of marble columns separated the men from the women. Wooden benches were placed on the women’s side. Rey saw her mother sitting amongst her aunts and older cousins. Queen Mara always dressed simply, with a plain but expensive looking blue dress accentuated with white pearls. Her braided hair was pulled back into a large bun, also decorated with pearls. The Queen watched her oldest daughter cross the throne room with a look of satisfaction on her face. Finn’s mother, Rey noted, was absent as far as she could see. Though Beau’s mother was seated primly some ways down from the Queen.

Rey turned her eyes to the far side of the room where the throne was placed. There were stairs leading up to it so that the King needn’t be on the same level as his Lords. In Rey’s opinion, the throne itself was rather ugly and unremarkable. It was carved from plain grey stone and left quite misshapen. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so unremarkable if the room had been less beautifully designed.

The Lords parted to let Rey and Finn pass, bowing as they did so. Their father the King was seated on his throne, watching his oldest children approach. Rey curtsied as she reached the open area in front of the throne stairs, Finn bowed as he came up to stand beside his sister.

“Do you know why you are here this morning?” The king asked. Rey kept quiet, she had a good idea but wouldn’t presume to speak first in front of the entire court. Finn had never held any qualms about public speaking, and responded, “The Order is close.” He didn’t bother to frame it as a guess.

“Indeed. Our scouts here have seen their ships, if the wind holds the Order will be here in no more than two days.”

Rey sucked in her breath, and she could practically feel Finn’s energy beside her, but based on the general reaction of the court this was not news to them.

“Why have you called us here?” Rey asked. The King turned his eyes on her, and Rey instantly felt as though she were a child again. She held a lot of respect for her father and longed to make him proud, but Rey could never shake the disconnect between them. Perhaps it was because she was a girl, and her father had hoped for a boy from his Queen. As the oldest daughter, Rey seemed to hold a special place in her father’s heart as someone to receive both respect and disappointment. 

“This castle needs leadership while outside forces lay siege to our land. Leadership comes in the form of royalty in a monarchial society. I will be leading our forces at the main gate and surrounding areas. Finn, you will have your own battalion to lead and will guard our gates closest to the palace itself.” Finn swelled with pride at these words, and Rey would have grasped his arm in congratulations had they not been standing before the court.

“Rey, every member of the royal family and many vulnerable common people will be taking shelter in the palace. You will be in common of the soldiers stationed at the here.” Rey’s jaw must have dropped to the floor, silence met her father’s words before a quick, “Luke!” Could be heard from her mother.

“You will not be fighting, you will be delegating strategy only. Do you understand me?” The King continued in a sharper tone.

“Yes father…my Grace.” Rey stumbled through her response.

“Court is dismissed. My war council will meet in our chambers.” The King said, and immediately the murmuring started. Rey felt the eye of everyone in the room on her. How often was a woman given control of a military operation? Rey guessed that there were less than she could count on one hand. 

Finn sped off to his war council without a word, they’d talk later. From the side of the room Rey could see her mother walking in her direction. Rey ducked between a couple of her uncles for cover and left the room with little fanfare. She didn’t want to talk to her mother right now, besides, Rey needed to meet up with her siblings. Going back down the walkway, Rey decided she wouldn’t tell yet about the inevitable siege. They’d all have enough time to worry once the Order was in sight. Sieges could last for weeks, no doubt there’d be many sleepless nights ahead for them.

The door to their breakfast hall was open, allowing Rey to walk straight into a moment without it being paused for her arrival. Aayla was seated, her attention half with an open book in her hands and half with Beau, who was giving a blow by blow account of his morning training with Finn. Alayne and Cienna were stood at one of the ocean-facing windows and gazing out to sea. Cienna was standing on her tip toes to get a good view.

Rey felt a pang in her heart, these were the most important people to her. Family. And Rey was tasked to protect them. It was a great honor, but now an incredible source of stress. What if she failed horribly, and someone was hurt? Killed even? Rey’s heart thudded faster and faster, this was what she’d wanted. A chance to prove herself as a leader. But now that the chance was given, could she really succeed. And what would she do if one of her siblings was hurt or killed under her watch?

Aayla finally noticed Rey in the doorway and stood up, Beau followed her action as Aayla called out to Cienna and Alayne.

“Are you ready, Rey?” Cienna asked. After a short pause, Rey nodded.

“Is everything alright?” Aayla asked, a look of concern on her face as she took in Rey’s expression. Shifting her features into what she hoped was a convincing grin, Rey said, “Of course, let’s go see my favorite place.”


	4. Four

There was no panic yet, Ben noted as he approached the gates of Ore Fedik Castle. It wouldn’t be long, the majority of his fleet was a day or so away at most. All of which was part of the Order’s plan, they’d stage a coup inside the palace itself before the siege even began. The only deviation from the instructions given by Lord Snoke was the role that Ben was to play. He had been told to stay with the main forces and command from there. This was likely less about Snoke’s concern for Ben and more about the illusion of power.

“Only let them see you when necessary. Let the rumors swirl, they’ll be greater than you’ll ever be.” Snoke had told him once many years ago, in the swimming heat of Tatooine. That was all well and fine for an old man like Snoke, but Ben could show his strength. Starting with taking the lead on their first key maneuver of the attack. Lord Snoke was days away by ship, no way for him to stop Ben from doing what he thought was best.

The castle gate was raised for the day, too many comings and goings of castle residents to open it each time they passed. Ben could see the width of the raised doors towering above him, they were made of hardwood as thick as logs. The doors would be difficult to break, even for an army the size of the Order which stood at ten thousand fighting men. This made Ben’s mission all the more important, else they’d be stuck in a siege for years.

“Oi! You lad over there, gate crossing’s a bronze pence.” The gruff voice of an older man called over to Ben, who reached into his pocket for the piece of bronze. The old man looked Ben up and down, the wrinkles on his forehead lengthening as he raised his eyebrows and asked, “What’s yer business here?”

Ben handed over the bronze and said, “Are you security as well as gatekeeper? I’m looking for work.”

“No work where you come from?” The old man pressed, and Ben couldn’t hold back a smirk as he said, “Not for the ambitious.” And he walked forward into the castle that would soon belong to him. The palace loomed over everything from its location farthest away from the main gate. The buildings closest to Ben were residential, the shops were farther in.

Nothing Ben had said to the gatekeeper had been a lie, he was here for work. The smaller team of soldiers that had been hand-selected by Ben were all arriving alone or in pairs. The all paid the gatekeeping fee, and came from multiple entry points. They’d also all been given funds to buy swords from the various armories in the castle. The group would attack the palace together at the darkest point of the night. Ben supposed the rest of his men would spend the day and better part of the night at the ale houses and brothels they’d been missing since leaving Tatooine. Ben meanwhile had his own mission for the day, and he joined a steady trickle of morning workers making the walk to the heart of the castle.

Most of the residents who lived this far out were bringing in water. Ben knew from his research on Ore Fedik that moving water up to the castle was the largest source of economy on the island. The same job that employed more workers than any other was also the lowest paying, seeing that children made up the bulk of the workforce. After about a quarter of an hour, the candor of Ben’s walk changed as the pathway switched from dirt to small stones. He could see the economic class shift as well, larger homes and more shops. Storekeepers and tradesmen mingled in the crowds of the lower classes. 

Ben refocused on his destination, the palace. Lucky for him, visitors were allowed the enter the ground levels. Like the main gate, the palace drawbridge was down and Ben was barely spared a glance as he moved inside. Now he needed to find a new way in. 

The palace seemed to hold a different energy than the rest of the castle, the kind of energy you might expect when preparing for a siege. The hurried chaos provided Ben enough cover to leave the entrance hall without questions. _This_ was a worthy palace, not the dump at the Rocky Isle where he’d been expected to return soon. History was intriguing to Ben, and he could feel the history here. A thousand years had passed through the hallway Ben was walking, sneaking looks into rooms with open doors.

The grey, sparsely decorated hallway led him to an end with the smallest door he’d seen so far. Testing his luck, Ben lifted the latch and opened the door as quietly as he could. He needn’t have worried, the door led out to a series of stairs heading either to a barn or open field of some kind. If nothing else came up, this could be a mode of entry for Ben’s team. 

“Can I help you mister?” A girl’s accusing voice called from behind Ben. He snapped the door shut and turned around to face a girl not much older than a child. She appeared to work at the palace, Ben had seen others dressed the same as her.

“You could show me the way out, I appear to be lost.” Ben rarely used his charm, but it came in handy for certain situations. It appeared to be well executed here, for the girl started to blush, and most importantly didn’t ask further questions.

“Of course, mister… Do you have a title?”

“Everyone has a title, what do they call you?” Ben asked with his slow drawl. For intelligent conversation Ben wouldn’t dare use this tone of voice.

“Kaydel, Castle Scholar.” The girl said proudly.

“A Scholar, your parents must be proud.” The started walking back towards the entrance hall.

“Yes, it’s a great honor to be selected as a Castle Scholar for the palace.” Kaydel said.

“You must have had opportunities to see the Crown Princess with your own eyes, haven’t you? I’ve heard tales of her beauty.” Ben said, finally getting to his point.

“Oh yes, I see her all the time. Less so now I suppose, since she’s of age and won’t be taking lessons with the Scholars anymore.” Kaydel blabbed.

“Is she in residence today? To simply glance at her would be an honor of a lifetime.” Ben said, hoping Kaydel would continue to be free of suspicion. But it seemed the Castle Scholar did have some wits about her. Kaydel’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she said, “Her Royal Highness is out today. Here’s your exit, good day mister.”

Ben smiled as though he was grateful and walked back over to the moat. It appeared as though there were more soldiers posted in front of the palace on his exit. Ben hoped there wouldn’t be too many waiting at the side door later that night, although his men would be prepared for a swift fight.

Where would a princess be other than the palace? There couldn’t be too many places, she wouldn't have cause to enter any of the castle shops. She’d likely be spending her leisure time taking in the sights, of which there were plenty on an island as big as Ore Fedik. Ben wouldn’t balk at a walk around his future home, and went on his way to explore the outskirts of the castle.

******

On the opposite side of the place grounds, Rey and her siblings were breathing in the sharp, salty air blowing up from the much discussed cliffs. A tall stone wall wide enough to be its own road enclosed much of Ore Fedik’s castle. The only open area was just behind the palace, as it was guarded by the naturally occurring cliffside. The drop from grass to ocean waves was hundreds of feet, too far to climb or fall without an untimely death. Due to its location, not many castle inhabitants ever visited the tallest section of the Ore Fedik cliffside. It was reserved in most part for the Royal Family, and any other palace occupant who found themselves in possession of free time.

Beau’s hand was held firmly in Aayla’s grip. Although he was old enough to know when he should mind his older sisters, the cliffs were still dangerous place that Beau had never seen before.

“How far down is it?” Beau asked loudly over the wind.

“Well over 300 feet, far enough that you-”

“-Would die immediately.” Beau cut Aayla off. 

“That was rude, Beau.” Alayne shouted from nearby. Color rose in Beau’s fair cheeks as he apologized.

“Beg pardon, Aayla. But can we get closer?”

“Mind your tongue and we can.” Aayla said, sending an amused glance in Rey’s direction before inching closer to the cliffside.

Rey’s mind was elsewhere, although she appreciated the change of scenery. Rey came to the cliffside more often than her younger siblings, often joined by Finn, and once she came of age she starting to bring Aayla on occasion. If there were ever a time for clearing her mind to focus, it was now. As she watched Alayne and Cienna pick the sturdy white wildflowers that grew in the surrounding fields, Rey took stock of her palace.

There was perhaps no one better than Rey who knew how to navigate the palace walls, for all the time she had spent avoiding being seen as she snuck off to train all these years. Guards would need to be posted at all access points, the majority would be at the main entrance. The second largest group would need to be placed on the west side of the palace, where the Royal family and castle residents in-need would be safest. The West Tower was build for a siege, it held a narrow staircase where at the top one would need to cross a suspension bridge into a second tower that was accessible only from the bridge. The suspension bridge could be raised, keeping all the siege tower occupants safer than anywhere else in the castle.

They’d need provisions and water stocked up in the siege tower, Rey thought suddenly. It was high time she returned to the palace anyway. As Rey opened her mouth to call Aayla, a strong burst of wind came from behind. Staggering a bit due to the density of her clothes, Rey didn’t react in time to place a hand on her hair.

The pearl studded pin holding her bun in pace came loose and thudded to the ground a few steps ahead. Bending to retrieve the pin, Rey patted her hair and groaned. Giggles to her left signaled that Cienna and Alayne had seen the whole thing. Straightening up, Rey stuck her tongue out at the little girls. Her thick brown hair trailed down to her waist, Cienna often begged to brush it out at the end of the day. Thankfully, the smaller pins holding the front of her hair away from her face hadn’t moved, but the rest of Rey’s hair would be a rats nest by the time she reached the palace.

Catching Aayla’s eye, she acknowledge her leave with a wave of the hand. What a scene they all were, the landscape a painter’s dream complete with a smattering of children calmly at play amongst the wild grass and flowers. It was enough to tug a smile onto Rey’s face as she turned away.

A dark figure caught her attention, far enough away that she could tell a person was there, but could identify no further features. A hint of _something_ pulled on Rey’s awareness, causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand up. Rubbing the back of her neck, Rey continued on. The figure wasn’t moving towards her or her siblings, and what she had felt wasn't overtly threatening. She could only describe it as an energy, a radiating connection to something, she just didn’t know what.

Feeling more than a little unsettled, Rey moved at a quicker pace towards her home. She didn’t dare look to see if the figure was still out there, but the energy she’d encountered didn’t waver. Threatening to stay for good.


End file.
